South West Water says its teams have been “working round the clock” to reinstate a road after sewage ‘explosion’ wrecked it on Monday.

They told Falmouth and Truro MP Jayne Kirkham they hope to finish repair work to Commercial Road in Penryn near the bridge by the end of today (Thursday).

Temporary traffic lights have been in place at the junction at the bridge since Monday lunchtime leading to long tailbacks and traffic congestion. It is hoped they will be removed by the end of the day.

The temporary traffic lights in Commercial Road have led to long tailbacks The temporary traffic lights in Commercial Road have led to long tailbacks (Image: Staff)

Raw sewage poured into the road after sewage and rainwater exploded through the tarmac flooding the road and local business as well as pouring into the Penryn River polluting it.

In an update to the MP a company spokesperson its teams continue to work round the clock to reinstate the highway.

“Following the completion of the repair to the burst in the early hours yesterday morning, our team have today back filled the excavation, and the tarmac reinstatement is expected to be completed by the end of the day tomorrow.

“We are sorry for any inconvenience and thank customers for their patience. The team are working to have this completed as quickly and safely as possible.

“We appreciate concerns about the location of the burst, however, the works to replace the rising main are not yet complete.”

Earlier this year the company completed the first phases of an £850,000 investment to replace this main to prevent further issues.

However, one local businessman told the Packet: “South West Water pipes burst that they constantly close the road to repair but never actually fix, disrupting local business for months on end,” he said.

The company says due to unforeseen conditions by the bridge and reaching the end of the agreed traffic management time on site, the team had to stop in March short of completion.

It says it is looking to complete this work in Spring 2025.

“Due to highway access, this is the earliest we have been permitted to return to site,” it says.